Originally Posted by
cyclomuter
What I really wanted to talk about is locking up with a rear rack. Usually you can find some kind of sturdy, narrow pole and you're good to go, but some of the bike racks I've encountered don't allow you to get your rear wheel and rack inside to properly lock anything but the front or rear tire, which obviously is no good. I encountered this yesterday and locked up on the end, but was thinking "what if the ends are already occupied" Since cable locks are so easily defeat-able, any good suggestions for alternatives?
Example pic: https://www.theparkcatalog.com/products/zoom/434-6033big.jpg
If the ends already have bikes locked to them on one of these "wheel bender" racks, there's only one way to securely lock the bike to the middle portion of the rack:
Lift the front wheel about three feet above the ground, lifting the wheel over the horizontal tube of the rack. You can then rest the bike on top of the rack. The portion that will be resting on the rack is where the down tube meets the head tube. This will allow you to lock the frame (and front wheel) to the rack. If that's too much hassle I recommend locking to the nearest street sign instead.
Alternatively, you can just lock one wheel to the rack, but be prepared to say bye-bye to the rest of the bike.
